City demands repairs on abandoned Bed-Stuy buildings

The city Department of Buildings has issued summonses demanding the owners of three problem properties along Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Lafayette Avenue repair damages that have spurred rat infestations, flooding and fires.

The properties, located at 874, 876 And 880 Lafayette Avenue, have long been plagued by unsafe conditions, residents told DNAinfo. At No. 874, a flood destroyed the basement and took out a wall. And No. 857 was ravaged by a three-alarm fire in April that injured three firefighters and caused damage to neighboring properties, the FDNY told DNAinfo.

Yolie Schwartz, who owned No. 857 at the time of the flood, told DNAinfo that reimbursing the resident for the damage depended: “If you’re talking about a million dollars, the answer’s no. If you’re talking about a couple hundred, OK,” he told DNAinfo.

Oscar Kohn, the building’s current owner, purchased the property Aug. 15 for $175,000 and told DNAinfo that he plans to fix up the property. “I don’t get involved, I have management who takes care of the whole thing,” he told DNAinfo when asked if he was aware of the building’s recorded problems.

DNAinfo was unable to reach the owners of 874 and 880 Lafayette Avenue.

DOB can ask the court to assume control of the buildings or demolish them if they are not fixed by Dec. 3, according to the summonses, cited by DNAinfo. [DNAinfo] — Julie Strickland